Gateway LA Winner & Aussie List

Penelope Chai and Matteo R. Bernardini to receive $10,000 cash prize, high-level support from industry professionals to develop script, and more for their winning script, Cinderella Must Die.

First developed by AiF President Simonne Overend in 2015, the GatewayLA Program gives screenwriters the chance to have their script seen by top industry professionals and is firmly established as the Australian version of Hollywood's The Black List and the U.K.'s Brit List. This year's "Aussie List" are a celebration of creativity and diversity in both the stories they tell, and the talented storytellers who tell them.

Reimagining of the original Cinderella fable, Cinderella Must Die byPenelope Chai and Matteo R. Bernardinichallenges the widely embedded "Princess Fantasy" and its impact on modern female stereotypes.

On their win, Matteo and Penelope commented, "We had a lot of fun working on the script and are so appreciative to Australians in Film for such a wonderful opportunity. It's very exciting to think about where it can go from here. Fairytales are a form of propaganda, so the idea behind Cinderella Must Die was to turn the original story completely on its head. Our script depicts the Ugly Stepsisters as the innocent victims and Cinderella as the villain in the form of a cunning social-climber who fabricates her own rags-to-riches narrative as a poisonous, but highly effective act of propaganda."

Matteo and Penelope will receive the US$10,000 cash prize, two Qantas airfares to Los Angeles, a desk at Charlie's + Creative Collective - Australians in Film's office for 12 months, and a copy of the latest version of Final Draft, the industry standard in screenwriting software. The pair will also receive high-level support and networking opportunities in Los Angeles specifically tailored to the project's needs including one-on-one meetings with established screenwriters, producers and other industry professionals acting as advisors to the program.

All finalists receive 12 months free access to Australians in Film shared office space The Creative Collective at Raleigh Studios and a copy of Final Draft.

"Over the last few months, the GatewayLA team has read and considered hundreds of quality screenplays, and the range of voices we've uncovered has been wonderful to see," commented Simonne Overend, President, Australians in Film. "The eight finalists make for a wonderfully diverse list of stories for both film and television, and are such a great representation of their equally diverse writers who hail from all corners on the country and numerous cultural backgrounds. Considering the GatewayLA scripts are assessed under anonymity, this year's list is further testament to the fact that regardless of your experience or ethos in life, a good story will always resonate."

The winning script of the inaugural Australians in Film GatewayLA program, Cargo from Yolanda Ramke, is now a feature film starring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Black Panther, Sherlock, Fargo). Currently in post-production in Sydney, it is slated for worldwide release as the first Australian feature to be released under the Netflix Original banner, a mere 18 months after winning.

'The Aussie List' for 2017 is:

CINDERELLA MUST DIE

Writers - Matteo R. Bernardini & Penelope Chai

Eight years after happily ever after, Anastasia sets out to settle the score with her lying, scheming, social-climbing sister, Cinderella.

BELLS GAP (TV)

Writer: Polly Staniford

When a teenage boy mysteriously reappears 15 years after he vanished without a trace, the community of Bells Gap is forced to confront the strange events that are happening beneath the surface of their town before someone else goes missing.

CURED (TV)

Writer: Joe Osborn

In the summer of 1996, a gay southern teenager is sent to a conversion therapy camp where he must figure out how to defy the authorities and be true to himself.

LUCID

Writer: Philip Tarl Denson

When an introverted dream programmer discovers he is trapped in a client's dream, he must find a way out and save the woman he secretly loves.

MY FIST YOUR FACE (TV)

Writers: Greta Harrison & Matthew C. Vaughan

A deluded ex-stuntwoman runs a low-rent stunt course for wannabe action stars. But her dreams of returning to the film biz are forever foiled by her own ego.

NOMAD

Writer: Maziar Lahooti

A hardened Iranian refugee; ex-special forces-turned bikie muscle, finds himself coerced into committing a series of savage robberies to bury a false debt and pull his only surviving family out from the Australian underworld he once inhabited.

PROSTHETIC

Writer: Adam Bustin

In the near future, a lonesome street sweeper becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after mistakenly rescuing a young woman he doesn't realize is an android - a pleasure model, who isn't real and isn't programmed to dispense the type of love he's looking for.

SOUTH OF THE 10 (TV)

Writer: Davina Willett

A tough-as-nails, inner-city female boxer is about to catch her big break, only to discover that the world of pro boxing and endorsement deals isn’t ready to embrace a gender ambiguous girl…even if she’s a killer in the ring.

Gateway LA is AiF's script development program for film and television writers. It aims to develop audience-driven, Australian-created content for US and international audiences, with the aim to spotlight and promote a select list of screenplays in the model of The Black List and the UK's Brit List. In particular, the program promotes writers to both Australian and international producers, development executives and talent in Los Angeles, where AiF has a base. The program is open to writers, or writing teams, with at least one Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Gateway LA is AiF's script development program for film and television writers. It aims to develop audience-driven, Australian-created content for US and international audiences, with the aim to spotlight and promote a select list of screenplays in the model of The Black List and the UK's Brit List. In particular, the program promotes writers to both Australian and international producers, development executives and talent in Los Angeles, where AiF has a base. The program is open to writers, or writing teams, with at least one Australian citizen or permanent resident.

How do I stay up to date on the GatewayLA Script Development Program?

Like AiF on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and sign up to receive updates.